MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps put on a dominant pitching display to silence the Great Lakes Loons and secure a six-game series victory by a score of 3-2 in front of 4,808 fans Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond.
West Michigan pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, one shy of
MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps put on a dominant pitching display to silence the Great Lakes Loons and secure a six-game series victory by a score of 3-2 in front of 4,808 fans Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond.
West Michigan pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, one shy of their single game-high of 16 on July 8 at Fort Wayne. At the same time, they held the Loons to a 1-for-8 mark with runners in scoring position in the narrow victory.
The Loons struck first in the second inning as center fielder Jake Vogel added an RBI single, jumping in front 1-0. West Michigan responded in the top of the third as Gage Workman collected a run-scoring double before Eliezer Alfonzo brought home a run with a single, forging West Michigan ahead, 2-1. Meanwhile, Detroit Tigers top-30 prospect and Whitecaps starter Dylan Smith collected six punchouts through 3.1 innings pitched before outfielder Carlos Mendoza crossed the plate in the fifth inning on a disengagement violation, expanding their lead to 3-1. Great Lakes pulled within one in the fifth as Griffin Lockwood-Powell added an RBI double. Still, it was too late, as ‘Caps relievers Angel Reyes, Gabe Sequeira, and Dario Gardea held the Loons hitless through the final four innings to slam the door and secure the series victory.
The Whitecaps improve to 55-51 overall and 23-18 in the second half, while the Loons fall to 65-42 overall and 20-23 in the second half. Reyes (3-2) collects his third win of the season, allowing just one run through two innings, while Gardea collects his eighth save with two scoreless innings pitched. Meanwhile, Loons starter Jerming Rosario (5-5) suffers his fifth loss, allowing two runs through four innings of work. The Whitecaps have won 13 of their last 15 games and are now solely in first place in the Midwest League East Division – sitting a half-game ahead of the Dayton Dragons.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps return home for a six-game series against the South Bend Cubs at LMCU Ballpark beginning Tuesday at 6:35 pm. Pitcher Wilkel Hernandez gets the start for West Michigan. Broadcast coverage begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.